13” or 15” MacBook Pro

[Dave245]

i have been debating this for a while now, my 2011 MacBook Pro has served me well but just lately it has slowed down when editing iMove videos and trying to multitask. I find myself looking at the 2017 MacBook Pro with Touchbar, however I don’t know if I should go for the following 13” with Touch Bar:

8GB Ram
512GB SSD
3.1GHz core i5

OR

15”

16GB Ram
2.9GHz Core i7
512GB SSD

I haven’t upgraded yet although I’ve had my eye on the MacBook Pro’s with Touch Bar for a while now.
The main reason I’m looking at the MacBook Pro is because I’m going to be upgrading to Final Cut Pro X as my YouTube videos have become more professional, I find myself spending more time editing videos as well for other people. Editing isn’t the only thing I do, I’m a writer as well so having things like pages open as well as a lot of Safari tabs is the norm for me.

Anyone else in a similar situation, did you go for the 13” or 15”? Or would it be better to wait until next years update?

 

[Closingracer]

i have been debating this for a while now, my 2011 MacBook Pro has served me well but just lately it has slowed down when editing iMove videos and trying to multitask. I find myself looking at the 2017 MacBook Pro with Touchbar, however I don’t know if I should go for the following 13” with Touch Bar:

8GB Ram
512GB SSD
3.1GHz core i5

OR

15”

16GB Ram
2.9GHz Core i7
512GB SSD

I haven’t upgraded yet although I’ve had my eye on the MacBook Pro’s with Touch Bar for a while now.
The main reason I’m looking at the MacBook Pro is because I’m going to be upgrading to Final Cut Pro X as my YouTube videos have become more professional, I find myself spending more time editing videos as well for other people. Editing isn’t the only thing I do, I’m a writer as well so having things like pages open as well as a lot of Safari tabs is the norm for me.

Anyone else in a similar situation, did you go for the 13” or 15”? Or would it be better to wait until next years update?

Are you editing 4k or 1080p? Also is your YouTube videos more of a hobby or do you make money or expect to make some with some moderate success? If you're doing it for a hobby the 13 will do the job fine. But if you're doing it with the expectation to get paid time is money and you'll be better off with the 15. Personally if you can afford both I would go with the screen size Tbh.

 

[jsm777]

always go for the bigger size if you can afford it imo
the 15 inch is quite mobile nowadays, i would even say as mobile as a 15inch laptop can get

 

[Dave245]

Are you editing 4k or 1080p? Also is your YouTube videos more of a hobby or do you make money or expect to make some with some moderate success? If you're doing it for a hobby the 13 will do the job fine. But if you're doing it with the expectation to get paid time is money and you'll be better off with the 15. Personally if you can afford both I would go with the screen size Tbh.

It’s more of a hobby but in recent months the views have started to pick up with 15K being the highest video at the moment. It’s 1080p at the moment but in time it could change to 4K. I don’t make a living from editing videos I’m professionally a writer and editing is more of a hobby. Ever since the Touch Bar was announced I have been intrigued as to how useful it is when editing, a friend ended up getting a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and he says it as helped with his video editing (he does it on a more professional level than I do).

I do also have an iMac but that’s also getting old, it’s the 2012 none retina.

 

[Naimfan]

Wait and hope they fix the keyboard.

The 15" will be quite a bit faster on FCPX, and easier to work on with the expanded screen space.

 

[Dave245]

Wait and hope they fix the keyboard.

The 15" will be quite a bit faster on FCPX, and easier to work on with the expanded screen space.

Are there issues with the 2017 keyboards? Final Cut Pro X is being updated I believe as well. Are the screens good on the 15” compared to the 15” on the 2011Macbook Pro?

 

[Closingracer]

Are there issues with the 2017 keyboards? Final Cut Pro X is being updated I believe as well. Are the screens good on the 15” compared to the 15” on the 2011Macbook Pro?

I have a 2017 15 inch and the keyboard is fine. If he's complaining about the butterfly keys they are here to stay.

 

[Naimfan]

I'm headed to an Apple Store tomorrow for a repeat keyboard issue - some keys repeat. It will be the fourth time it has been seen; the keyboard was cleaned once and has been replaced twice. A cursory look at Apple's support forums will give you an idea of the breadth of the issue.

FCPX will be much better on a 15" due to the discrete AMD graphics.

Screens are noticeably improved on the 2016/17 vs 2011.

 

[skaertus]

I have a 13-inch MacBook Pro with TouchBar and it is very thin, light and convenient. Said that, I would buy the 15-inch model if I were to choose today. I do not edit videos, but I could easily use the extra real screen estate. I bought mine in very favorable conditions, so I do not regret it at all, but my next laptop will probably lean towards a 15-inch screen.